(almost) endless list on a snowday

I always get that kiddish delight when I wake up and discover that schools are closed because of a snowstorm.

Here's my list of things to do on a snowday.

1. Wake up at 5.45; it's still dark. There's no way to see what's outside without actually getting out of bed, which doesn't appeal to you. Turn on the TV instead, and wait for the school closings to roll across the bottom of the screen. Hold your breath till it gets to L for Lower Merion. It's there (!). Realize, seconds later, that Philly schools are also closed. Immediately send a quick email from your blackberry to your sister (who's a teacher) saying "yay yay yay" because you know she waits all year for a snowday, and finally it is here.
2. Quickly get up, shower, get dressed and do your toilette.
3. Go to kitchen and start breakfast. Add buckwheat to the oatmeal cause you recently heard it was very Good For You.
4. Make a pot of tea. Eat a quick breakfast. (You like the buckwheat in the oatmeal and today you've tried Lapsong Souchon tea, which you never thought you liked because of its very smokey flavor, but you realize you love it! Remind yourself of the importance of Always Trying New Things, even at this age.)
5. Work for a couple of hours, sipping yummy tea, while your child hangs out in his pajamas and watches a few TV shows about dinosaurs. Realize, even though you are not listening, that there are a few new theories about how the dinosaurs went extinct.
6. Polish your silver candlesticks just cause they are there and they need it. Put new candles in and light them. Admire their beauty.
7. Take up an offer from your child to go out and make a snowman. After all, how many snowdays do you get? Go to the cellar and hunt through your winter storage box to find your snowpants, a favorite hat you forgot about and some good waterproof gloves. Say a quiet "yay" to yourself when the snowpants fit. Appreciate the swishy sound the snowpants make when you walk, it's like music (anyone wearing snowpants makes that noise, even extremely skinny people).
8. After layering up properly and blowing out the candles, go outside and realize the icy sleety snow on the ground is not the correct kind for snowman-making. Suggest to your child taking a walk on your favorite trail. When your child agrees, set off.
9. Appreciate the quiet and the newness of the trail (no one has walked here yet) and the crunchy sound the shoes make with each step. Wonder over the fact that your child's footprints are as big as yours. Enjoy the walk, the talk and the beauty. It's not often things look like this, snowy and ice covered. Think about the movie "The Ice Storm."
10. Arrive back home, relight candles, make more tea, engage in optional activity for rest of day. (For me it's back to work.)